The Crescent City Classic 10K course remains the same from this past year, but runners and fans will notice increased security and other wrinkles in the 36th annual race April 19.

With the Boston Marathon set for April 21 -- nearly one year after the bombings that marred last year's race -- Crescent City Classic officials are increasing security at the start and finish areas, race director Eric Stuart said.

About 17,000 people have registered for the Crescent City Classic, and Stuart expects as many as 26,000 registrants. Online registration at ccc10K.com will be open through Monday (April 14) for $40, and in-person registration at the race expo will take place Thursday and Friday (April 17-18) at the Hyatt Regency for $45.

"Because of the proximity to the Boston Marathon and what happened at Boston last year, we were advised by security experts to tighten things up, which we’ve done," Stuart said. "We'll have five different bag checks to get to the secure start. And along the finish line, there’ll be a corridor with security on both ends checking anybody who wants to get close to the finish line."

"Last year we only did the fast runners in a fenced corral. This year everybody but the walkers and the strollers will be in fenced corrals," Stuart said. "Essentially all the way from Loyola and Poydras to Claiborne will be fenced. So runners will go into these fenced corrals according to their ability, the New Orleans Police Department will escort them to the start, and every 3-5 minutes we’ll have another wave go off."

As for the elite athlete pool, elite athlete coordinator Andrew Lilly said this year's men field is shaping up to be the most talented in race history. The top three seeds are last year's winner Isiah Koech, 10K and 15K world record holder Leonard Patrick Komon and world cross country champion Japhet Korir, all of Kenya.

Koech's only road race experience has been at the Crescent City Classic and this year's Shamrockin' Run 8K.

He won last year's race in 27 minutes, 32 seconds, and Lilly said a goal for this year is to make the Crescent City Classic the fastest 10K on American soil. The fastest 10K run in the U.S. was 27:04 by Joseph Kimani, also of Kenya, in Atlanta in 1996.

"Those three are the standouts, and we have about seven or eight guys who have run 28 minutes or better on the road fairly recently," Lilly said.

The female runner-up from 2013, Hiwot Ayalew, returns this year with a shot to take the title. The Ethiopian steeplechaser is undefeated in cross country racing in Europe this year.

"Hopefully she’ll come here a little bit more rested," Lilly said. "Last year she came here directly from the (World Cross Country) championships and she was tired; she led the majority of the race and faded toward the end. We haven’t really had a fast women’s time in a few years, and I think she might be able to do it."